The Friends of the Fort Dodge Public Library are holding a Brown Bag Briefing from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday in the library meeting room, 424 Central Ave. The program is free. Bring a sack lunch, coffee and water will be provided.

The program is “Fort Dodge Area Railways,” presented by Al Nelson, local author and historian. 2019 is the 150th anniversary of the first locomotive (the ‘Hattie Sherman’) steaming into our young and thriving town. Throughout the 1860s, Fort Dodge was the third fastest growing town in Iowa. This presentation tells the story, with pictures, of how the railroad came to town and the principal people involved. This may have been the most important and exciting event in the history of our town.